Monday

Over two hundred years ago the great Merlin prophesied the coming of the Children of Avalon who would fight and, hopefully, defeat Lady Nimuë in her quest to rule and become most powerful Vallen ever. To guide them, he left a knight of King Arthur’s Round Table​, Sir Dagonet​. Now, after seven generations, it is finally time for events to begin to unfold.​

Our story begins with:​

Air: Merlin’s Chalice

In one day Scai has gone from being considered unusual by the people of her little Welsh village to an outcast fleeing for her life. Left on the church steps as a baby, she knows nothing of her history—or her abilities. Did she really stop the rain just by wishing it to stop? But she is determined to learn all she can. Travelling alone to find her family seems to be the only way she’s going to find the answers she seeks.

Her journey leads her to the comical old knight Sir Dagonet, who tells her that she is one of a magical people called the Vallen. Together they continue on, joined by the handsome Dylan and the fiery Bridget on a new quest—to find the fabled Merlin’s Chalice, said to hold all the power of the entrapped wizard. Together, Scai, Dylan and Bridget discover that they are the long awaited Children of Avalon, destined to save the world from power-hungry Lady Nimuë—unless she kills them first.

Along the way, Scai finds magic—both in the wind and air that she can control at will, and in the sweet ache of a first love that she cannot.

​Dylan has never been good enough. Neither his foster-brother nor his father have ever thought so. But now, finally, Dylan has a chance to demonstrate what he can do in the most difficult of situations. Dylan is the only descendant of the great Merlin and a member of a magical race known as the Vallen. One of the Children of Avalon, he knows he is strong enough to defeat Lady Nimuë. But when Dylan thinks he can take her on on his own, he is quickly shown otherwise.

​When not even the love of a beautiful and powerful woman is enough, what will it take for Dylan to prove that he is worthy of taking on the greatest threat Britain has ever faced?

​​Bridget isn’t sure she has what it takes to be a leader, but she’s about to find out. The witch hunts are getting worse by the day. But when Lady Nimuë kidnaps Bridget’s own family things get personal. Only Bridget, the brilliant Scai and powerful Dylan—the prophesied Children of Avalon—have the power to defeat Lady Nimuë. The question is, does Bridget have the strength of will to lead them through to the end?

​When Scai’s childhood friend, Aron the blacksmith, joins their group, Bridget is suddenly faced with a new challenge—this one from her heart. Will her love for Aron get in the way of defeating Nimuë, or will it give her the confidence she’ll need?

Thank you so much for sitting down with Toot's for an interview. If you don't mind, I have some questions for you about your trilogy The Children of Avalon, your new book, Fire: Nimue’s Destiny, and your process for our budding authors as well as fans.

So first off, your newest book is part of your trilogy, The Children of Avalon. Let's talk about the trilogy as a whole....

In your own words, what is the The Children of Avalon trilogy about?

First of all, thank you so much for allowing me to join you! I really appreciate your time. The Children of Avalon is a post-Arthurian fantasy romance. It’s about three people, Scai, Dylan and Bridget, who are magical people called Vallen. Scai and Bridget are sisters and descendants of the great Morgan le Fey, the high priestess of the magical isle of Avalon, and Dylan is the only living descendant of Merlin. Together, the three of them are the “children of Avalon” destined (through a prophecy from Merlin) to defeat Nimuë (the Lady of the Lake) who wants to become the most powerful Vallen and rule Great Britain, if not the world. In the prophecy, Merlin says that the trio will defeat her if she doesn’t kill them first.

What inspired the trilogy?

The trilogy is the story of the beginning of the Vallen world. I already have a novel (Magic in the Storm) and a novella (Storm on the Horizon, which is free everywhere) set in the Regency (late 1700-early 1800s in England) which is set in this world. I’m current working on a bridge novel which will connect the Children of Avalon trilogy and the Storm novels.

Can you tell us a bit about the newest book in the trilogy, Fire: Nimue’s Destiny?

Fire is the conclusion of the trilogy. The three books are one story of how Scai, Dylan and Bridget meet and attempt to defeat Nimuë. Each book is told from the point of view of one of the trio: the first book Air: Merlin’s Chalice is told from Scai’s point of view. The story then continues with Water: Excalibur’s Return told from Dylan’s point of view and the third and most recent, Fire: Nimuë’s Destiny concludes the story and is told from Bridget’s point of view.

How did you come up with the title of your newest book in the trilogy and can you tell us its significance?

Each book is named after the element associated with that character. Scai is associated with air (she can control the element and turn into a bird) and the goal of the book is to find Merlin’s Chalice (a magical cup into which Merlin placed all of his powers just before he was trapped into an oak tree by Nimuë). Dylan is associated with water (he’s an empath and can turn into a fish) and, being a knight, has always longed to wield the great sword Excalibur (he’s given the sword in the story). And finally, fire is Bridget’s element (she’s a healer). In her story, Nimuë’s destiny, of course, comes into play.

How does the new book, Fire: Nimue’s Destiny, fit into the trilogy?

It is the concluding book.

What genre would you say Fire: Nimue’s Destiny is and what sets your book apart for fans of the genre?

The trilogy is definitely Fantasy. There is a romantic element in each of the stories (although it’s not the main plot). And I also classify them as New Adult because they’re about three people trying to figure out who they are and their place in the world. There are few New Adult novels which are historical fantasies; few Arthurian romances being written currently; and few romances which include all of these elements.

What was your favorite scene to write in Fire: Nimue’s Destiny?

Oddly enough, the deepest, darkest scene in the book was at the same time the most fun and the most difficult scene to write. There is a death (which may upset readers because a good guy is killed) that sets off an emotional whirlwind leading to everything falling apart. I love writing highly emotional, angsty scenes and this definitely fits that bill.

What was the hardest scene to write for Fire: Nimue’s Destiny?

The second hardest scene – after the one described in the last question—was definitely the last scene where the hero and heroine vow their love for each other. I hate mushy, sappy scenes (odd, I know, for a romance author) and try not to make them too gooey. I had to add in deep thinking, as well as humor, to make this romantic scene work for me. It took a while and a number of rewrites to get it right.

What is your favorite line or quote from Fire: Nimue’s Destiny?

“Good luck with that.” It’s what Morgan le Fey says to Nimuë throughout the entire series whenever Nimuë discusses her determination to kill the trio. It’s just so snarky.

Writing.......

Do you recall how your interest in writing originated and what made you decide to pursue it as a career?

I started writing when I moved to Williamstown, MA, when my husband got a job teaching at Williams College. It’s a very small, rural area and I couldn’t get a job, so to keep myself occupied I started writing the books I loved to read, Regency romances in the tradition of Georgette Heyer. I decided to keep writing when we had two small children and were moving around a bit (again with my husband’s career) and I realized this was work I could do anywhere, allow me to do something intellectually challenging, and be there to raise my children.

What inspires you to put the pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard?

I’ve got stories to tell. I love telling them.

What are some of the elements in/of your writing process?

I pre-write. I begin my writing day by writing out the scene that I need to write that day. It starts out in prose, telling what the scene is going to be about and then slowly merges into dialogue, description and action. It allows me to explore my characters feelings. Where they’re coming from, emotionally, and what is stopping them from achieving what they need to achieve.

Are you a Plotter or a Panster?

100% plotter. I plot and plan everything. I’ve got worksheets (on my website, just look under “For Writers”) for character development, scene development and story structure (a number of different versions and ways to outline a book).

Have you released anything under a different pen name, and if so, is there any difference between them?

Nope. All of my books are written under the name Meredith Bond.

What's next for you?

As I mentioned earlier, I’m currently working on a bridge novel (which I’m currently called “Bridges”) that will link my two series together. The hero is the comedic character Sir Dagonet from the Children of Avalon trilogy and also bridges Storm on the Horizon and Magic in the Storm (in the first Tatiana is the heroine; in the second she’s the villain. “Bridges” shows readers how she moved from one to the other).

Is there anything you’d like to add or say to your fans?

Please, please come visit me on Facebook (I’m there a lot!). You can find me at www.facebook.com/meredithbondauthor. I post on Twitter about once a day or so. And I just love connecting with people!

Personal questions......

Now I know this is like asking you to choose between your own children, but out of all your amazing characters, who is your favorite and why?

Yeah, really! How can I pick one? Well, I can’t. I love two the most, really. I love Julian Ritchie, the hero of my Regency romance, An Exotic Heir. He’s an ango-Indian during the Raj who gets passed over for job promotions again and again because he’s half Indian—until finally he decides to get revenge. It’s a great story; a great romance. And I also love Sir Dagonet from the Children of Avalon, who is deeper than you would expect for a comedic character. I just hope I do him justice in this new book I’m writing where he’s the hero.

Are there any of your stories or characters that hold a special place in your heart?

Julian’s story, absolutely. I love Calcutta, where a good portion of the story is set, and I hate racism, which the story is about (overcoming it).

If the book or trilogy had to have a theme song, what would it be?

Well, the theme song for all of my writing is “Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield. I love that song. It talks about expanding your mind and allowing your creativity free reign.

Lastly, What 5 things do fans not know about you and 5 they don't know about the trilogy?

Five things fans don’t know about me:

1. Most things, unless you read my blog and then you know just about everything, lol!

2. I love to read everything—and I mean everything! I read romance (naturally), mystery, thrillers, literary fiction, science fiction, fantasy, biography and other non-fiction—the only thing I don’t read is horror and even then I’ve read some of that too.

3. I love where I live because I live in one of the most diverse cities in the world—Washington, DC.

4. I’m about to become a sad, sad person because my last child is about to go off to college leaving me an “empty nester”.

5. I love to travel—both through books and in real life.

Five things people don’t know about the trilogy:

1. It’s a labor of love that has taken me years to plot, plan, write and rewrite.

2. I love all of the major characters in the books—the good and the bad.

3. I had the greatest time and the most frustration trying to think of ways that magic could be used.

4. Both Water and Fire were way too short after I’d written them because I adhered too closely to the concept “only write the good parts”.

5. I had to add in a subplot to Water to get it long enough. Fire I just left alone and it’s a little shorter than I had wanted it to be.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for taking time to answer some questions. Congratulations on the new book and I can't wait for everyone to read it!

Neither can I! I really hope everyone enjoys all three books of the trilogy. If you do, please write a review (authors live for reviews!) and if you don’t, please write to me personally and tell me why – my email address is merry@meredithbond.com. And please don’t think that your email will fall on deaf ears. When I went back to edit my Regency romances the first thing I did was read readers’ reviews to see what they didn’t like and that’s how I knew what to change and rewrite in the books.

Author Info

Meredith Bond is an award–winning author of a series of traditionally published Regency romances and indie–published paranormal romances. Known for her characters “who slip readily into one’s heart”, Meredith’s heart belongs to her husband and two children. Her paranormal romances include Magic In The Storm, Storm on the Horizon, and the short story “In A Beginning”. Her traditional Regencies include The Merry Men Quartet of which An Exotic Heir and A Dandy In Disguise have recently been republished. Meredith teaches writing at her local community college. If you want a taste of her class in book form, Chapter One is available at your favorite e–retailer.

Want to know more? Come visit Meredith at her website or chat with her on Facebook or Twitter @merrybond and find her at Goodreads. If you’d like to be one of the first to know of Meredith’s new releases and get a free vignette four times a year sign up for Meredith’s newsletter here.

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